Natural England - HLS Targeting: Theme background

HLS Targeting: Theme background

This page provides the rationale as to why each theme has been identified as a priority for HLS and provides an indication of what HLS can do to meet the desired outcome for each theme.

Theme 1: Improving the resilience of nationally important (UK Biodiversity Action Plan) habitats to climate change

The climate is changing and this has major consequences for biodiversity. In previous eras of climate change, wildlife has been able to naturally adapt by shifting their ranges to where there is a more favourable climate; as the climate has warmed, species have generally moved northwards and to higher altitudes. This resilience is now limited due to habitat fragmentation and barriers such as urban settlements. There is an urgent need to enable the natural environment to adapt to the impacts of “locked in1” climate change over the coming decades. HLS management can make an important contribution by improving the resilience of nationally important (UK Biodiversity Action Plan) habitats outside of target areas by maintaining, restoring and buffering the largest and most diverse sites. These vulnerable habitats represent important sites for wildlife and sources of highest wildlife interest in the wider countryside. Maintenance and restoration of these habitats will typically involve extensive grazing, scrub clearance and sward enhancement to help reduce the existing pressure on these vulnerable sites and improve their condition, making them more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

1 The climate change that will occur as a result of past and current patterns of energy production and consumption and other greenhouse gas producing activities.

Theme 2: Reversing the decline of farmland birds

Farmland birds have seen massive declines in the last 25 years and greatly benefit from agri-environment scheme management. Specific HLS management will help reverse this decline and Natural England will consider applications that will provide a package of ELS/HLS options capable of delivering the most appropriate farmland bird management possible. HLS management will complement the work performed by ELS/OELS (which is focused on more widespread species) by offering more specialist management to ensure the recovery of our most vulnerable range-restricted farmland birds

Theme 3: Securing the recovery of nationally important (UK Biodiversity Action Plan) species

Many of our most rapidly declining species occur in the areas outside of the important habitats covered by Theme 1. Of the 30 species that have shown the greatest decline across Britain, 60% are found in arable and other cultivated land. HLS management is required outside of the habitats identified in Theme 1 to help the recovery of our most vulnerable species. HLS will seek to provide habitat for rare and vulnerable species by providing cultivated margins for arable plants, pollen and nectar mixes for rare bumblebees and specialist management to help rare mammals and invertebrates.

Theme 4: Improving the quality of nationally important water bodies and/or habitats adversely affected by diffuse water pollution from agriculture

Diffuse water pollution from agriculture is an important factor affecting designated water-related wildlife sites, including both freshwaters and estuarine/marine waters, and is a major influence on water-related habitats in the wider countryside. With Environmental Stewardship both ELS and HLS can help to reduce the risk of agricultural diffuse water pollution by buffering sensitive habitats and waterbodies. HLS resource protection options are specifically designed to improve soil structure and water infiltration, and reduce the transport of sediment (and associated pollutants) to waterbodies.

Theme 5: Reducing risk to nationally designated assets identified by the Heritage At Risk Survey

Since 1945 changes in agricultural policy, technology and practice have particularly affected the condition of the historic environment. More than half of our nationally important archaeological sites are at risk from agriculture - particularly arable cultivation and natural processes, such as animal burrowing or scrub growth, and over 45% of historic parkland extant in 1918 has also been lost, with agricultural intensification being one of the major causes. In HLS, specific management options can be used to help address this risk and Natural England will consider applications that provide the most appropriate management in each case.

Theme 6: Securing positive management of prioritised historic buildings

Modern farm practices have led to many changes within farmsteads – new machines require larger buildings, and animal welfare and hygiene require new building standards. Economic pressures may also have caused buildings or steadings to become redundant or amalgamated. Traditional farm buildings are the single largest category of ‘at risk’ building on local authority risk registers but historic buildings on farms are one of our most dominant features and are as important to the ‘character’ of the countryside as the field patterns, boundaries and settlements around them. In HLS, specific management options can be used to help address both the maintenance and restoration of non-domestic historic buildings Natural England will consider applications that provide the most appropriate management in each case.

Theme 7: Reducing the damage caused to undesignated below-ground archaeological sites by cultivation and protecting and enhancing visible undesignated historic environment features

Even one instance of ploughing can damage or destroy hidden archaeological remains but although these sites have been damaged in the past and may be suffering from harm now, the process can be gradual. As such, large numbers of very important sites survive under cultivation and would benefit from action to halt or minimise the effect of ploughing. In contrast, grassland management has ensured that some archaeological sites have survived in far better condition, and this is particularly true for areas of unimproved permanent grazing land. Maintaining these sites in positive grassland management is the best way of ensuring their long term preservation and visibility, for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations. HLS contains specific management options that can be used to help these issues and Natural England will consider applications that provide the most appropriate management in each case.

Theme 8: Improving people’s enjoyment & understanding of the farmed environment

It is recognised that access to the natural environment can make a significant contribution to people’s health and wellbeing and Higher Level Stewardship, as a scheme which is both permissive and time limited, is ideally placed to add value and enhance opportunities to this end. The opportunities to establish access will be where there is identified demand, where they will link people with places of interest or where they will enhance existing access networks. It is recognised that access to the natural environment can make a significant contribution to people’s health and wellbeing and Higher Level Stewardship, as a scheme which is both permissive and time limited, is ideally placed to add value and enhance opportunities to this end. The opportunities to establish access will be where there is identified demand, where they will link people with places of interest or where they will enhance existing access networks. However, HLS not only represents a valuable tool to improve or establish access, but also, through the option to host educational access visits, it can increase the public’s understanding of the farmed environment and the relationship between farming, conservation, and food production.